


Scholar's Mate; Wayward Queen Attack

by El Staplador (elstaplador)



Category: Sally Lockhart - Philip Pullman
Genre: Chess, Community: 52fandoms, F/F, Fade to Black, Femslash, Femslash February, Living for the moment, New Year's Resolutions, Ruritanian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-16
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-29 12:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elstaplador/pseuds/El%20Staplador
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The Wayward Queen Attack violates a conventional opening principle by developing the queen too early, subjecting it to attack."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scholar's Mate; Wayward Queen Attack

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cosmic_llin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/gifts).



'What are you going to do next?' Adelaide asked one evening.

'This,' Becky said, and took Adelaide's queen.

'I didn't mean it like that,' Adelaide said, 'and you know it. What are you going to do after you've been the royal interpreter and official chess partner to her Majesty the Queen of Razkavia?'

'I don't know. When I was in London, I was either going to be a brigand or a pirate, or go to university. Now – I don't know,' she said again. 'This is so strange, it's like a dream. I could be anyone by the time I come out the other side. If I ever do.'

'Don't talk like that,' Adelaide said. 'We're getting through this.'

'Very well. Pretty soon you'll have learnt enough German to get through the most obscure treaty without me. The Queen of Razkavia won't need an interpreter any more.'

'That'll take a while,' Adelaide said, moving a knight.

Becky eyed it suspiciously. 'Perhaps. I'd like to bring my mother back to Razkavia. I'd like to stay. Do you think the university takes women students?'

'It will if its Queen commands it to do so. You could get a degree and then be a pirate.'

'Razkavia's landlocked,' Becky pointed out, and moved her queen to cover Adelaide's knight.

'A land-pirate! Or yes, a brigand. If you're going to go to university, will you be a tom?'

'A what?' Even after spending most of her life in London, Becky could still find the English language had power to confuse her.

'You know. A tom. A Sapphist. Most university women are, that I've heard of.'

'Oh!' Becky was blushing, but Adelaide seemed not to be teasing. 'I don't know. Perhaps.' Which was not entirely truthful, but not really a lie.

'You don't know much, do you,' Adelaide said. 'But it's safer than the other way. We had a couple, you know. Regulars. Like I say: safer. Unless anyone catches you.' She looked at Becky in a way that was almost protective. 'Is it illegal here, d'you know?'

'I haven't looked into it,' said poor Becky, blushing still harder. 'I'm sure it's not respectable here, either.'

'You never know,' Adelaide said. She took Becky's rook. 'Check.' Her voice quivered with barely-suppressed glee.

Becky had no choice but to move her king feebly back to the edge of the board – and she saw, far, far too late, that Adelaide had got a pawn almost all the way across, and that there was nothing to stop her converting it to replace her captured queen.

After which it became apparent that she was bound to win. Becky would have resigned, but Adelaide had always insisted on playing right to the bitter end when things were going well for her.

  
Some hours later, Becky was woken from her sleep by an insistent tapping at her door. She groaned and, slipping on her dressing gown, went to answer it.

'I'm sorry to disturb you, Fräulein Winter, but her Majesty asked me to wake you.'

Becky sighed, and found her slippers. She followed the maid through the low-lit corridors, and found Adelaide waiting at the door of the royal bedroom. Inside, she could see, the lamps burned brightly. 'Oh, Becky, thank you,' she said. 'I wouldn't have woken you, but this couldn't wait until morning – you'll see.'

Becky, squinting at the document that Adelaide held in her hand, could see nothing urgent; in fact, it was a report that she had translated two days ago, and that had proved to contain nothing of interest at all. She refrained from saying so, however, until the maid had departed and Adelaide had closed the door.

'I know,' Adelaide said, softly. 'It's what they call a pretext.'

'A pretext? Is there something else we have to talk about?' It would not have surprised her in the slightest.

'You could put it like that,' Adelaide said, 'but I wouldn't, personally.' She was still standing very close to the door, and to Becky. Now she took Becky's hand, lifted it gently, and kissed it.

Becky made a protesting sort of noise. No matter who she might have been and what she might have done, one simply didn't suffer one's queen to kiss one's hand.

'I was wondering, you see, about the next bomb, or the next gunshot,' Adelaide murmured. 'Whether it was going to come before I had had a chance to thank you for – for everything. I wouldn't have lasted five minutes without you.'

'Oh,' was all that Becky could seem to find to say. Her heart was beating absurdly fast.

Adelaide drew her closer still. 'So,' she said, 'thank you.' And, before Becky could protest – though she was strangely reluctant to do so – she was kissing her.

'You see,' Adelaide said, breaking off for a moment, 'I have so little that is really mine to give you. Only promises – and what do they mean? what's the point of offering you half the kingdom or a Fellow's chair when we might both of us be blown to bits tomorrow? - and pleasure. So pleasure it is.' She returned to kissing Becky, who, enjoying proceedings too much to argue further (and recognising any such attempt as futile), responded with eagerness.

'I must admit,' Becky whispered, as Adelaide slipped her dressing gown from her shoulders, and began to unfasten the buttons of her nightgown, 'when I came back to Razkavia I never dreamed that I would end up a royal mistress apart from everything else.'

'Are you teasing?' Adelaide asked severely, and pinched her, through the fine cotton, so she squeaked.

'Teasing my queen? Never!' Indeed, Becky was amazed that she could joke about it, flirt (albeit awkwardly) with this woman who was by turns street brat and sovereign lady – but somehow it all seemed part of this long, strange dream, and something to be enjoyed while it lasted. 'I am her Majesty's most loyal subject!'

'Now I know you're teasing me,' Adelaide said, with a wicked, enticing smile. 'Come, then and see how you enjoy serving under me.'

And she led her to the great royal bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for any chess errors; I've not played for years and the jargon is shamelessly harvested from Wikipedia for the puns.


End file.
